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Us
Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
Friday, November 9, 2001
Nawlin's sinful spice
Country Cajun tempts diners with great gumbo, sensational seafood and generous portions
Good news
Fans of the Country Cajun restaurant will be happy to learn it's back in business. This is the third time the restaurant has opened for business in the area. Owner Robert Hathorn, originally from Baton Rouge, has owned previous incarnations in Portland and Corpus Christi.
Bad news
Cajun food isn't the healthiest thing you can put in your body, but at least the folks at the Country Cajun have done something to limit the damage. They fry all their foods in peanut oil, which gives the food a lighter, milder feel.
Food for thought
Look for the building with the blue roof and the Country Cajun sign on top. Ignore the sign near the street erected by a former occupant, who ran a Mexican food restaurant from the same place. The inside is cozy, with several booths along one wall and small tables throughout this small restaurant.
We started with The Sampler, which turned out to be small bowls of gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice and chicken dumplings.
The gumbo was mildly spicy with small shrimp and generous portions of sausage. The chicken dumplings were small, tender and well cooked with fresh, shredded chicken mixed in, while the red beans were tender and flavorful without too much spice. The only disappointment was the jambalaya that, although tasty, arrived cool and tasted slightly less than fresh.
We also sampled the catfish nuggets, which came with tartar and red sauce and were cut into small, bite-sized pieces fried to a golden brown. The insides were white, fresh and flaky, and we could have sworn they'd been caught in a nearby lake rather than imported from Alabama.
The blackened red snapper I ordered as an entrée was the highlight of my meal. It was everything a blackened fish filet should be - thin, fresh, flaky, seasoned to perfection and blackened just right.
The twice-baked potato that came with my meal had a soft, creamy consistency and the melted cheese on top gave it added flavor.
My companion's fried shrimp came with a light breading that complemented the shrimp's incredibly fresh taste. The stuffed crab that came with it was a little too bland and dry.
We topped off our meal with New Orleans bread pudding and peach cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream, which we found to be so incredibly fresh and sweet that it's worth stopping in just for the dessert.
We found the Country Cajun a wonderful place to enjoy a quick lunch, although it became so crowded some had to wait for a table.
It's also worth the trip from across town for dinner, especially on all-you-can-eat nights from 4:30 to 9 p.m.
Mondays and Saturdays are all-you-can-eat shrimp nights ($11.99), while Tuesday is all-you-can-eat fried catfish night ($8.99).
Service
Our waitress was friendly, funny and helpful. She brought our food quickly, kept our beverage glasses full and called us darlin' on more than one occasion.
Restaurant reviews are written by a team of freelance writers. The Caller-Times pays for the meals. From time-to-time the writers visit previously reviewed restaurants to update the information.
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